seven narrations: an islamic management perspective

International Journal of Economics, Management and Accounting 29, no. 1 (2021): 1-21

© 2021 by The International Islamic University Malaysia

SEVEN NARRATIONS: AN ISLAMIC MANAGEMENT

PERSPECTIVE

Rodrigue Fontaine

Department of Business Administration, Kulliyyah of Economics and

Management Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia.

(Email: [email protected])

ABSTRACT

This study pertains to Islāmic management. Islāmic management introduces

the Qurʾān and the Sunnah into the practice of management. To date, most

of the focus has been on introducing Qur’anic concepts. Introducing

concepts from the Sunnah has been lacking. In some cases, scholars have

quoted narrations but not offered any explanations. Using an action research

methodology, the author looked at how best to introduce an understanding

of the Sunnah to undergraduate students of Islāmic management. In the first

cycle, students were asked to reflect on an-Nawawi’s Forty Hadith.

Although this text is recognized as an excellent summary of the Sunnah, it

proved to be too comprehensive for the limited time available. The author

selected seven very comprehensive narrations and linked them to the

management principles of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. A

second cycle was initiated and that proved much more successful. Knowing

these narrations alone is not enough. Each narration is tied to a key principle

in the Sunnah so that a detailed explanation must accompany each narration.

Such an approach helps practitioners of Islāmic management to better apply

the Prophetic Leadership Model.

JEL Classification: M140

Key words: Islāmic management, Sunnah, Tawheed, Islāmic leadership

1. NTRODUCTION

For centuries, scholars of Islāmic law have explained the Sunnah in the form of manuals. For example, the translation in English of al-Hajar al-Asqalani’s Bulugh al-Maram (Al-Sanani, 2002) has hundreds of narrations organized in different chapters. For example, the chapter on usury (ribā’) has 21 narrations of the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) on this matter (Al-Sanani, 2002, 268-274). These manuals are useful up to a point. However, Muslim

2 International Journal of Economics, Management and Accounting 29, no. 1 (2021)

scholars of management started writing works on Islāmic management in the 1990s and 2000s. The aim of these books of Islāmic management was to refute the secular ideology underlying much of conventional management and to present an Islāmic alternative. Many books on Islāmic management kept the framework of conventional management based on planning, organizing, leading, and controlling (Ahmad and Fontaine, 2011; Ahmad, 2007; Jabnoun 1994) but added insights from the Qurʾān and the Sunnah.

An example is Jabnoun (1994). However, a careful analysis of Jabnoun (1994) shows that the overwhelming number of references is from the Qurʾān only with no real explanations of what the ayat are supposed to mean. Very few narrations are presented. When they are presented, it is in a very simplified manner. For example, Jabnoun (1994, 57) quoted the narration that says, “Religion is sincere advice” but does not explain its significance at all. Some narrations are presented in an obscure manner. For example, Jabnoun (1994, 66) quoted a narration that says, “This religion is strong so deal with it delicately and nicely” but gives no further explanations.

The purpose of the above paragraphs is not to criticize past scholars but to recognize that a gap exists in the literature that needs to be filled. Since 2004, the author has been researching and teaching Islāmic management. Over the last few years, he shared insights from the Qurʾān for the benefit of Muslim managers (Fontaine, 2020; Fontaine, Ahmad, and Oziev, 2017). He is now focused on helping students and Islāmic management practitioners to better understand the Sunnah and relate it to management principles.

2. METHODOLOGY

The author uses an action research approach in developing a

framework to promote Islāmic management (Fontaine, 2016). Action

research allows educators to identify a problem and go through

various cycles to improve learning outcomes through an inductive

process (Stinger, 2008). The aim of his action research is to help

management students understand the relevance of the Sunnah in the

Muslim workplace. A total of 150 students participated in this

project.

3. FIRST CYCLE

In 2018, the author started the first cycle of the “sharing the Sunnah”

project. The Sunnah encompasses the statements, actions, and

approvals of the Prophet (blessing and peace be upon him) (Philips,

Seven Narrations: An Islamic Management Perspective 3

1996; Nyazee, 1994). Doi (1984) explains how the Sunnah was

preserved through narrations (aḥadīth). Six collections emerged.

They were compiled by al-Bukhari, Muslim, Ibn Majah, Abu Dawud,

al-Tirmighi, and al-Nasa’í. Ali (2003) adds two other collections of

narrations: The Muwatta’ of Imam Malik and the Musnad of Imam

Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Another collection known as Musnad ad-Darimi

is also highly regarded (Ali, 2003, 163). A more detailed account is

presented by As-Siba’ee (2008). As-Siba’ee deals with the

preservation of the Sunnah. This includes how scholars deal with

fabricated ḥadīth, with a variety of Islāmic groups, with orientalists,

and with contemporary writers who reject it.

The Sunnah is a very technical science that many ordinary

Muslims do not really understand. Although many Muslims are

familiar with al-Bukhari and Muslim, a popular source for

understanding the Sunnah remains Imam an-Nawawi’s Forty Ḥadīth.

These are found in Appendix 1. Zarabozo (1999) presents a good

commentary in English. Indeed, merely reading a translation of a

narration is not enough. Zarabozo (1999, 6) argues that a narration

can only be properly understood in the light of the Qurʾān and other

narrations. Each narration requires a detailed commentary. An-

Nawawi’s contribution is that he sifted through all the collections of

narrations and selected 42 narrations. Each narration provides an

essential teaching of Islam. Together, they encompass “all of Islam”

(Zarabozo, 1999, 104). At the end of this stage, the author decided

that he wanted his students to have an overview of the Forty Ḥadīth

and a basic understanding of selected narrations.

In September 2018, the author taught a course in which he

gave an assignment where the students had to reflect on the Forty

Ḥadīth. Online resources were identified and a number of classroom

sessions were dedicated to explaining some of the narrations. After

each class, he wrote down his reflections. Summarizing the semester,

he wrote,

“Sem 1, 2018/2019. We started discussing the 40 ḥadīth in

class. We did the first four ḥadīth on the first day. The slow

pace was because the class spent time on the first ḥadīth –

the discussion was whether intention was related to belief or

action. The fourth ḥadīth dealt with al-qadr so a long

discussion about al-qadr followed. In the next class, six

ḥadīth were covered. A long time was spent analyzing “the

religion is the nasehah”. In the next class, the following

narrations were discussed: there is no harming, speak well or


keep silent, and whoever relieves his brother of a burden,

Allāh will relieve his burden on the Day of Judgment. After

discussing these narrations, students worked in pairs to

reflect on the rest of the 40 ḥadīth. The problem is that each

narration is so comprehensive that a one-hour session to

explain one narration is barely sufficient. If I try to cover

everything superficially, I will do a bad job. If I cover these

40 ḥadīth in detail, I cannot complete the rest of the syllabus.

I don’t know what to do.”

This was the dilemma. If students simply read the narrations

without any explanations, they gain little real knowledge about the Sunnah. The benefit of each narration emerges when one is familiar with the discussion tied to each narration. If too much time was spent discussing them, the rest of the syllabus would have to be sacrificed. In short, trying to teach all forty two narrations is not feasible. One would have to pick and choose some narrations that seem more relevant to management. This was the end of the first cycle of the action research project.

4. INTERLUDE

After the end of the first cycle, the author spent about 18 months thinking about the problem. His reflections focused on Surah al-Fatihah. Its logic is compelling. It is: 1. Premise 1: Allāh is the Master of all the worlds 2. Premise 2; He is ar-Rahman, ar-Raheem 3. Premise 3: He is the Owner of the Day of Judgment 4. Conclusion: No one else can help you on the Day of Judgment

so you should worship Him alone and seek help from Him alone

5. The last part of the surah explains the characteristics of those who obey Him and those who disobey Him

6. The beginning of the surah describes the greatness of Allāh. The implication is that once someone has internalized Allāh’s

greatness, then one is ready to worship Him. If one disobeys Allāh, one has to reflect on Allāh’s greatness. Apart from having a compelling logic, it is a summary of the whole Qurʾān yet it is very short – only seven āyat. Neuroscience shows that individuals have a limited cognitive capacity. They are generally able to keep between five and seven items in their short-term memory (Gardner, 2008). By April 2020, the author had identified seven narrations using an inductive process. He was inspired by the structure of Surah al-Fatihah which starts by describing Allāh’s names and attributes


before exploring appropriate and inappropriate behavior. This inductive process was facilitated by conversations with Muslim scholars of Islāmic economics. One of them noted that, “In the old days, Muslim would start businesses that were permissible. Today, people start a business first and then worry about the permissibility after the fact”. Table 1 shows the justifications by relating these narrations to Surah al-Fatihah and management principles. These might not be the most pertinent narrations for future managers but this study is very much a first attempt at presenting what has been done to gain feedback from other scholars.

TABLE 1

Seven Narrations

Description Tag Line Justification

1 Hadīth # 10 Allāh is pure and

accepts only deeds that

are pure

Related to Allāh’s names

and attribute. In

management, related to

planning

2 Ḥadīth # 19 Be mindful of Allāh and

Allāh will protect you


and attributes. In


leadership

3 Ḥadīth # 24 I have forbidden

wrongdoing (zulm) for

Myself so do not wrong

others


and attributes. In


planning

4 Ḥadīth # 42 As long as you call on

me, I will forgive you


and attributes. In


controlling

5 Ḥadīth # 21 Believe in Allāh

completely and then

stand firm

Related to appropriate

behaviour. In


leadership

6 Ḥadīth # 9 Avoid sins completely,

do good deeds as much

as you can

Related to inappropriate

behaviour. In


planning and leadership


TABLE 1 (continued)

Description Tag Line Justification

7 Ḥadīth # 7 The religion is

naseehah

Related to appropriate

behaviour. In


leadership and

controlling

These seven narrations are presented in the following section.

5. SEVEN NARRATIONS

In the English language, Zarabozo (1999) has given one of the most

complete commentaries of the Forty Ḥadīth. Thus Zarabozo (1999)

will be used as a reference although many other commentaries exist.

For example, Navaid Aziz explained each narration and uploaded the

content to YouTube. These links were provided to students as an

additional reference (see Table 2).

TABLE 2

Resources on YouTube

The first narration is,

“Verily Allāh is pure (tayyib) and accepts only that which is

pure. Allāh has commanded the believers to do what He has

commanded the messengers: “O messengers! Eat the good

things and do what is right.” And He said, “O those who

believe, eat of the good things that We have provided for

you.” Then the Prophet mentioned a man who after a long

Description Link

1 Ḥadīth # 10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5k6gHdTAIM

&t=36s

2 Ḥadīth # 19 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSitfPZwJQo

3 Ḥadīth # 24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EghBhEXnNw

4 Ḥadīth # 42 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i764rWK4SE

5 Ḥadīth # 21 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fSeyhNwRTE

6 Ḥadīth # 9 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4pY2-AgGvg

7 Ḥadīth # 7 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFs8U6XMJrU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5k6gHdTAIM&t=36s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5k6gHdTAIM&t=36s


journey is disheveled and dust coloured. The man stretches

his hands out towards the sky and says, “O Rabb, O Rabb”,

while his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing

is unlawful, and his nourishment is unlawful. How is he to

be answered.” (Muslim)

The statement “Allāh is pure” is a summary of all of Allāh’s

attributes. He is perfect in every way and He has no imperfection

(Zarabozo, 1999, 549). As a consequence, Allāh accepts only pure

deeds. Acceptable deeds mean that they are done sincerely for Him

and they are in accordance with Islāmic law. The person doing the

deed has a certain mindset. He or she is aware that deeds need to be

done as perfectly as possible in order for them to be pleasing to Allāh

and therefore acceptable (Zarabozo, 1999, 551). Zarabozo (1999,

558) notes that the narration does not say that deeds of someone with

unlawful income will be automatically rejected. Allāh may accept

these deeds out of His mercy and kindness. The point is that

unlawful income is a major reason why deeds are rejected. In Table

1, this narration was linked to planning because each business is

either clearly permissible, clearly impermissible, or in a grey area.

Muslims should therefore logically be afraid of getting involved in

uncertain business transactions.

The second narration is,

“O young man, I shall teach you some words. Be mindful

(ihfadh) of Allāh and Allāh will protect you. Be mindful of

Allāh and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask

of Allāh. If you seek help, seek help from Allāh. Know that

if the nations were to gather together to benefit you with

something, they would not benefit you with anything except

that which Allāh has already recorded for you. If they gather

to harm you by something, they would not be able to harm

you except what Allāh has recorded against you. The pens

have been lifted and the pages have been dried.” (al-

Tirmidhi)

Zarabozo (1999, 739) explains that ihfadh means “guarding” or

“preserving”. Thus Zarabozo translates ihfadh as “being mindful”.

The idea is that one is mindful of Allāh’s sharīʿah. One protects the

rights of Allāh (e.g., the prayer) and the rights of people (e.g.,

respecting other people’s dignity). In return Allāh will protect that

person. Not only one, a Muslim will develop a closeness with Allāh.


If a Muslim asks, he or she should only ask from Allāh. If a Muslim

asks for help, only Allāh can help him or her. This portion of the

narration – guard the rights of Allāh, ask Him for your needs, and ask

Him for help – highlights the reliance of the slave upon Allāh. This is

the essence of tawheed (Zarabozo, 1999, 760). The final portion of

the narration describes the belief in al-Qadar. Belief in al-Qadar is

often a source of confusion for many Muslims. However, this

narration explains it in a simple way by highlighting what Muslims

can do – being mindful of the limits set by Allāh. Zarabozo (1999,

764) writes,

“Correct belief in this part of the ḥadīth should lead to

tranquility and happiness in the soul of the person. If a

person turns to Allāh and puts his trust in Him, he no longer

cares what people plot against him”

In Table 1, this narration was linked to leadership. One

could argue that respecting the sharīʿah can also be part of planning

or controlling so it is a matter of interpretation. However, an

important dimension of this narration is that idea of not being afraid

of what other people think or say, which seems more pertinent to

leadership.

The third narration is,

“O My servants, I have forbidden wrongdoing (zulm) for

Myself and I have made it forbidden for you. Therefore, do

not wrong one another. O My servants, all of you are lost

except for those whom I have guided. Therefore, seek

guidance from Me and I will guide you. O My servants, all

of you are hungry except those that I have fed. Therefore,

seek food from Me and I will feed you. O My servants, all of

you are naked except those whom I have clothed. Therefore,

seek clothing from Me and I will clothe you. O My servants,

you sin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins.

Therefore, seek forgiveness from Me and I will forgive you.

O My servants, you will not be able to harm Me so as to

bring any harm to me, and you will not benefit Me so as to

bring any benefit to Me. O My servants, if the first and the

last of you and the humans and the jinn of you were as pious

as the most pious heart of anyone among you, it would not

add anything to My dominion. O My servants, if the first and

the last of you and the humans and the jinn of you were as


wicked as the most wicked heart of anyone among you, it

would not decrease anything to My dominion. O My

servants, if the first and the last of you and the humans and

the jinn of you were to gather together on the land and all

asked of Me and if I were to give everyone of them what he

asked, that would not decrease what I have any more than a

needle decreases what is in the ocean when it is put into it. O

My servants, it is but your deeds that I reckon for you. Then

I recompense you for them. The one who finds good is to

give praises to Allāh. The one who finds other than this

should not blame anyone except himself.” (Muslim)

This narration covers every aspect of Islāmic law.

Everything that is forbidden is a type of injustice (whether people

realize it or not) and everything that has been ordered relates to

justice. Wrongdoing is divided into three categories.

1. Wrongdoings that cannot be forgiven (e.g. shirk)

2. Wrongdoing that cannot be overlooked because it involves the

rights of other people (whether Muslims or non-Muslims). The

good deeds and the sins need to be exchanged so as to rectify

the rights of people.

3. Wrongdoing that a person does against himself. Allāh may

punish or overlook these sins at His own discretion because it

does not involve the rights of other people.

Muslims should have a zero-tolerance toward wrongdoing and

they should do what they can to establish justice in society

(Zarabozo, 1999, 930). This part of the narration has many practical

implications in the business world. Many business leaders seem to

practice some kind of wrongdoing (e.g., bribery, delaying paying

their suppliers, misleading customers, getting employees to work

overtime without paying them for it and so forth) but they seem to be

successful in business. This apparent success is in fact deceiving

(Zarabozo, 1999, 926). Success and failure are only in terms of the

Hereafter, and oppressing others will have a huge adverse effect. In

particular, the supplication of oppressed people is always accepted.

The Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) said,

“Protect yourself from the supplication of the one who is

wronged, even if he is a disbeliever, for there is no barrier

for it” (Ahmad)


The next portion of the narration states that everyone is lost

except those that are guided. Zarabozo (1999, 936) says that

guidance includes

1. A general guidance to everyone with regard to worldly

matters. This is the human nature that Allāh has programmed

in every person.

2. A general guidance to everyone with regard to religious

matters. This is guidance that prophets and scholars can share

with the people so as to try to persuade them to accept the

truth.

3. A specific guidance which has to do with the placing of faith

into the heart of a believer. This guidance comes only from

Allāh.

4. A specific guidance has to do with guiding someone to the

Straight Path. This guidance comes only from Allāh.

With regard to Muslims not getting guidance, Zarabozo

(1999, 938) writes,

“The only way, based on this ḥadīth, is that they did not

want the true guidance. They prayed but they were not

sincere when asking for guidance. They had already

determined what “guidance” was. They had their heart set on

some specific path and that is what they were going to

follow”

The next part of the narration deals with the means of

livelihood. This narration implies asking from Allāh, working to earn

a living, and having a good expectation from Allāh (Zarabozo, 1999,

p. 942). Muslims who understand this point will always be thankful

for what they have. They will not be jealous for what they do not

have. In the last portion of the narration, Allāh emphasizes that He

forgives sins. The one who does good should praise Allāh and the

one who has problems should blame himself. In Table 1, this

narration was linked to planning. As mentioned earlier, some

businesses are clearly permissible, clearly impermissible, or there is

uncertainty. However, one may plan to run a permissible business

using wrongdoing as a business strategy. Wrongdoing can include

lying to customers, lying to employees, lying to suppliers, or lying to

the shareholders.


The fourth narration is,

“O son of Adam, as long as you call on Me and put your

hope in Me, I have forgiven you for what you have done and

I do not mind. O son of Adam, if your sins were to reach the

clouds of the sky and then you would seek My forgiveness, I

would forgive you. O son of Adam, if you were going to

come to Me with sins close to filling the earth and then you

would meet Me without ascribing partners with Me, I would

bring forgiveness close to forgiving it” (al-Tirmidhi)

This narration illustrates the importance of supplication

(du’a). Supplication has conditions. One must be sincere, one must

follow the manners of supplication, and one must perform pure acts.

Zarabozo (1999, 1598) quotes that the Prophet (blessings and peace

be upon him) said, “You are responded to as long you do not become

hasty and say, I supplicated and it has not been responded” (al-

Bukhari and Muslims). As such, one must have hope in Allāh.

Hoping in Allāh means “fearing his punishment while hoping for his

forgiveness. It is hoping for the mercy of Allāh while fearing his

greatness and power” (Zarabozo, 1999, 1589). This proper balance

between hope and fear is crucial. Someone who commits a lot of sins

should not simply assume that he will be forgiven. Someone who

does commit sins should not lose all hope. With regard to

forgiveness and repentance, Zarabozo (1999, 1600) notes that the

conditions for repentance include,

1. Repentance must be sincere

2. The person asking for forgiveness must feel remorse

3. The person must stop committing the sin – if they have hurt

someone’s honour or stolen some wealth, they have to return

it.

4. The person must be committed not to repeat the sin

5. The act of repentance must be done as soon as possible.

In Table 1, this narration is linked to controlling. The logic is

that people make sins all the time. These sins can be intentional

(generally out of arrogance) or unintentional (generally out of

forgetfulness). If Muslims were afraid that none of their sins would

be forgiven, nobody would venture into the business world. The

reality of business is that, despite the best of intentions, things go

wrong. These are often honest mistakes. Similarly, there are two

dimensions to controlling. One emphasizes punishment for deviating

from goals set by top management. The other emphasizes improving


after mistakes are made (Fontaine, 2016). Part of one’s reliance on

Allāh is that if one repents and corrects one’s mistakes, one’s

previous sins will be forgiven. This optimism should naturally

translate into how one deals with one’s subordinates. The fifth narration is,

“O Messenger of Allāh, tell me a statement about Islam such

that I will not have to ask anyone other than you.” He

answered, “Say, I believe in Allāh” and then stand firm

(istiqamah) on that” (Muslim)

This narration implies that believing in Allāh is not simply

affirming that Allāh exists. One must worship Him sincerely,

continuously ask Him for help, protection, guidance, forgiveness,

and sustenance. One must constantly guard the limits of the sharīʿah

and make sure not to wrong anyone else. Faith is not just verbal

affirmation. It is always belief followed by action. Zarabozo (1999,

216) writes.

“This relation between true faith and acts may be one reason

why Allāh so often describes the believers by the acts they

perform. If true faith really exists in the heart, the

corresponding good deed must follow. It is simply

inconceivable that the inner aspects are at the level of great

faith and the external deeds do not demonstrate that faith.”

Zarabozo (1999, 234) notes that entering Paradise is tied to

being a believer, not to simply being a Muslim. Muslims have

fulfilled the external requirements of their faith. Believers (mu’min)

have fulfilled the internal and external requirements of their faith.

One starts as Muslim and then gradually increases in faith until one

becomes a believer. Zarabozo (1999, 826) says that even the

testimony of faith has conditions attached to them. These conditions

are,

1. Knowledge (al-ilm)

2. Certainty (al-yaqin)

3. Acceptance (al-qabul)

4. Submission (al-inqiyad)

5. Truthfulness (al-sidq)

6. Pure sincerity (al-ikhlas)

7. Love of the testimony of faith and everything that it implies

(al-mahabbah)


Thus believing in Allāh properly is not an easy matter. There

is necessarily struggle involved. One must, for example, struggle

against one’s desires. This requires constancy (istiqamah). It means

being committed to Islam, struggling to stay on the straight path, and

being resilient. The Qurʾān makes it clear that human beings are

unable to attain perfection. People should try their best and they

should seek forgiveness for their shortcomings (Zarabozo, 1999,

836). In Table 1, this narration was linked to leadership. Leaders may

plan to have a permissible business but things may happen. Thus

every day, one’s faith and commitment to Islāmic principles need to

be renewed.

The sixth narration is,

“What I have forbidden for you, stay away from. What I

have ordered you to do, do as much as you can. Verily the

people before you were destroyed only because of their

excessive questioning and their disagreeing with their

prophets.” (al-Bukhari and Muslim)

This narration is fundamental to the correct understanding of

Islāmic law. The command to avoid prohibition is absolute. The

priority is:

1. One must fulfill the minimum requirements to be a Muslim

(e.g., pray five times a day for example). If one is unable to do

them perfectly, one can do them according to one’s ability

(e.g., a sick person can pray sitting on a chair).

2. One must abstain from sins

3. One can then do additional good deeds (e.g. voluntary prayers)

to get closer to Allāh

Zarabozo (1999, 526-527) writes, “It is more important to

avoid the forbidden acts than to go beyond those obligatory acts into

the non-obligatory acts.” Abdullah ibn Umar stated, “it is better to

return one-sixth of a dirham illegally gotten is preferred to spending

one hundred thousand dirhams in the path of Allāh.” This sense of

priority is an integral part of worshiping Allāh sincerely. The second

part of the narration relates to seeking knowledge. There are good

questions and bad questions. One extreme is to focus on hypothetical

questions that have no real benefit. The other extreme is to never ask

any questions. The middle way is to ask practical questions but to not

venture into useless speculations (Zarabozo, 1999, 531). In Table 1,

this narration is linked to planning and leadership. Poor planning

may lead some Muslims to commit business-related sins (for


example, borrowing money using interest-based loans) that was not

in the original business plan. Poor leadership means that unethical

business practices are not corrected because they seem to be

profitable.

The seventh narration is,

“The religion is naseehah. The people said, “to whom?”. The

Prophet replied, “to Allāh and to His Book, and to His

Messenger, to the leaders of the Muslims, and to the common

folk of the Muslims” (Muslim)

This is a comprehensive narration. Zarabozo (1999, 479)

notes that this expression “the religion is naseehah” is very unique. It

is similar to the statement that says, “the Haj is ‘Arafah”. Scholars

know that there is more to the Haj than simply gathering at ‘Arafah

but missing ‘Arafah invalidates the Haj. Zarabozo (1999, 479)

concludes that,

“One of the interpretations is that one’s religion cannot be

complete unless he fulfills the naseehah to Allāh, His Book,

and the others mentioned in this narration”

This is a very heavy statement that has enormous importance

for students and practitioners of Islāmic management. The meaning

of naseehah is very comprehensive and it includes all forms of

virtue. It means to clean, to purify, or to improve something; and to

unite and join something together. The scholars have concluded that

it is an action or statement that contains goodness for another person.

It is an essential part of brotherhood. The Qurʾān describes the

prophets as giving naseehah to their people. Zarobozo (1999, 495)

gives an example of how the companions understood this concept.

At-Tabarani narrates that one of the companions, Jareer, had

a slave buy a horse on his behalf and the slave paid 300 dinars for the

horse. Jareer returned to the seller and told him that the horse was

worth 800 dinars, so he gave the man an extra 500 dinars. Jareer

explained, “I made the oath of allegiance to the Prophet to do the

following: to establish the prayer, to pay the zakat, and to make

naseehah to every Muslim” (Zarabozo, 1999, 495). This incident

illustrates the importance of naseehah because it is as important as

the prayer and zakat. The following Table 3 summarizes the different

dimensions of naseehah.

One notes that the actions of the heart – such as loving others

for the sake of Allāh – are always implied. Indeed, the Prophet said,


“None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he

loves for himself” (al-Bukhari and Muslim)

TABLE 3

The Dimensions of Naseehah

Naseehah Description

To Allāh To love Allāh more than anyone or anything else, to

respect Allāh’s laws, to support other believers, and

to be thankful for His favors.

To His Book To believe that the Qur'an is the Speech of Allāh.

One reads it, understand it, loves it, and applies it to

the best of one’s ability.

To His

Messenger

To believe in him, love him, his family, and his

companions. It means taking the Messenger as the

final say when it comes to religious matters. One

must love and support people who attempt to

promote his Sunnah.

To the leaders of

the Muslims

To help and to advise religious leaders and worldly

leaders. This should be done with wisdom, dignity,

and in secret.

To the common

folk of the

Muslims

To help them in worldly and religious matters, to

protect them, and to conceal their faults.

In Table 1, this narration is linked to both leadership and controlling. Leaders should not simply be exploiting employees. They should be concerned with developing their skills and talent through coaching, mentoring, or training. Similarly, naseehah has obvious relevance to controlling. In many organizations, controlling is often reduced to setting key performance indicators and evaluating performance based on these indicators. In reality, good controlling combines performance evaluation and developing talent. When people do the right thing, they should be praised. When they make mistakes, one has to understand why the mistake was made (Fontaine, Ahmad, and Oziev, 2017).

6. SECOND CYCLE

In June 2020, this author was teaching three sections totaling 110

students. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the usual face to face


meetings were not possible. Using a combination of Zoom and

WhatsApp, he sent his students a draft of this paper. They were

asked to read the paper, do some basic research, and include their

findings in the assignments that they were due to submit. Although a

somewhat crude method of data collection, the author made two

important conclusions. First, they all understood the basic message

of the document that they received. Second, it was much easier for

them to make sense of seven narrations rather than 42 narrations (as

was done in the first cycle). In particular, the explanation of each

narration was very helpful. In this case, quality was much better than

quantity.

7. THE NEXT CYCLE

God willing, the next cycle starts in 2021. The plan is to give these

seven narrations to students. Through class discussions and class

presentations, the author ensures that they understand them. Students

are then divided into groups of three and asked to survey friends and

family to find out three challenges that people face at work in the

light of these narrations. They are asked to report their findings. For

example, it might be that the majority of groups discover that most

people agree that Muslims today are very casual about earning

permissible income, or that many people feel that their managers

wrong them on a regular basis, or that most managers do not give

naseehah to their subordinates. The point is that the Sunnah is not

simply a number of narrations that need to be memorized. It is not a

series of detailed explanations that need to be understood. The

Sunnah is made up of narrations that allow Muslims to make sense of

the world, in this case, the world of work. This is in line with the

overall vision of Islāmic management.

8. DISCUSSION

Every study should make a contribution to the existing body of

knowledge. Clearly, Muslim scholars of management have always

appreciated the importance of the Sunnah. For example, Jabnoun

(1994) quoted several narrations in his seminal work. The problem is

that a narration without a detailed explanation is not very useful.

Indeed, it can be misleading. Some writers do provide detailed

explanation. For example, Tahir (2019) quoted one narration

(“Richness is not having many possessions, but richness is being

content with oneself”) and wrote 40 pages to explain its significance.


That is very much the exception, not the norm. If Muslim writers of

management would quote narrations and provide the relevant

explanations, that would be a great step forward.

Second, the author believes that it is important that Muslim

writers of management rely on a model of Islāmic management. The

author currently relies on the Prophetic Leadership Model to guide

his research (see Figure 1).

FIGURE 1

The Prophetic Leadership Model

Source. Adapted from Fontaine (2020)

This model is made up of several components. The first

component focuses on internalizing the values of the Qurʾān and the

Sunnah. Fontaine (2020) identified four core values from the Qurʾān

(iman, islam, ihsan, and taqwa). These seven narrations can be added

to this list. These values are not merely statements of intentions. In

future, HR managers can use them to survey employees and find out

how managers compare these values. The second component focuses

on dealing with change. The third component focuses on dealing

Internalizing the

Qur’ān and the

Sunnah

Systems skills and growth

mindset – Dealing with

change (94%)

Conventional Leadership

Competencies – Dealing

with people (6%)

Effective Leadership

Effective

meetings

Reflecting on

the seven

narrations


with people. The narration that states that the “the Deen is naseehah”

is very relevant here. The next component is effective meetings.

Fontaine (2020) proposed that managers adopt the principle

of data-centricity. Thus, when attending meetings, managers ought to

have valid and relevant data. They ought to make decisions that

benefit the organization, not one that simply reflects their personal

agenda. Gardner (2009) notes that many groups make extreme

decisions. There are other concerns with using appropriate resources,

changing business processes, and so forth. Thus, future researchers

might be able to develop checklists that would operationalize each

narration. Table 4 is an example of what might become the norm in

the future.

TABLE 4

Operationalizing “the Deen is naseehah” in a Meeting

Variable Key points

Values The decision of any meeting must reflect the values of

the organization

Data Participants make decisions based on data

Intention Participants made decisions that are good for the

organization as a whole, not simply their department or

themselves

Change Participants do not simply accept the status quo. In a

fast moving environment, people must move with the

times

Concern for

people

Participants cannot overburden employees. Burnout is

a lose-lose scenario

Prudence Extreme decisions are to be avoided

Resources Participants must look for the best ways to optimize

existing resources

Processes

Often, problems exist not because of bad people but

because of bad processes. Should processes be

revised?

Transparency Minutes of meetings must be kept

The point of Table 4 is to highlight that different people in

different organizations can take the same narration but operationalize

it differently in the light of the realities specific to their organization

and their industry.


9. CONCLUSION

This study has summarized the lessons learned when it comes to

sharing the Sunnah with Islāmic management students. In the first

cycle, they were given the entire Forty Hadīth to reflect upon. That

proved to be too much information with no enough explanation. In

the second cycle, seven narrations were extracted and more emphasis

was given on explaining these narrations. This proved more

successful.

The future aim is to introduce this approach to individuals in

the workplace. The author has two platforms to use. One is through

MBA students as these are often full-time employees who are doing

their MBA part-time. The other is through a training company called

Akademi Sinergi Ikhlas. It is possible that a variation of this study

might be packaged as a one-day or two-day training program. The

outcome of each training program would be for each group to

operationalize the narrations as per the example in Table 4. In this

case, different employees from different organizations would

operationalize these narrations according to the realities of their

organization and their industry constraints.

REFERENCES

Al-Bukhari, Muhammad ibn Ismail. Sahih al-Bukhari. Virginia, VA:

Al-Saadawi Publications, 1996.

Al-Sanani, Muhammad bin Ismail. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani’s Bulugh

al-Maram: Attainment of the Objectives According to

Evidences of the Ordinances. Riyadh: Darussalam, 2002.

At-Tirmidhi, Muhammad ibn Isa. Sunan al-Tirmidhi wa Huwa al-

Jami’Sahih. Beirut: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiya, 2011.

As-Siba’ee, M. The Sunnah and its role in Islamic legislation.

Riyadh: International Islamic Publishing House, 2008.

Ahmad, K. Management from Islamic perspective, principles and

practices. Kuala Lumpur: International Islamic University of

Malaysia Research Center, 2007.

______, and R. Fontaine, Management from an Islamic perspective.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2011.

Ali, S.B. Scholars of Hadith. Skokie, IL: IQRA’ International

Educational Foundation, 2013.

Doi, A.R. Shariah: The Islamic Law. Kuala Lumpur: AS Nordeen,

1984.

Fontaine, R. Management and Leadership Skills. Gombak: IIUM

Press, 2016.


______. Islamic Management: The Power of Qur’anic Thinking.

Shah Alam: Akademi Sinergi, 2020.

______, K. Ahmad, and G. Oziev. Islamic Leadership Today.

Gombak: ICIFE, 2017.

Gardner, D. Risk: The Science and Politics of Fear. London: Virgin

Books, 2009.

Jabnoun, N. Islam and Management. Kuala Lumpur, Institut Kajian

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Muslim, ibn al-Hajjaj Sahih Muslim. Riyadh: Dar-us-Salam

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APPENDIX 1

The Forty Hadith in One Table

No Key Idea

1 Actions are based upon intentions

2 Islam, iman, and ihsan

3 Islam has been built on five pillars

4 Creation in the mother’s womb

5 Religious innovation is rejected

6 The lawful is clear

7 The religion is sincerity

8 Fight against the people

9 Avoid what is forbidden

10 Allāh is pure and only accepts what is good

11 Leave that which makes you doubt

12 Leave what does not concern you

13 Love for your brother what you love for yourself

14 The blood of a Muslim is sacred

15 Speak good or be silent

16 Do not become angry

17 Allāh has ordered ihsan in all things


APPENDIX 1 (continued)

No Key Idea

18 Have taqwa of Allāh wherever you are

19 Be mindful of Allāh

20 If you feel no shame, do as you wish

21 Entering Paradise by focusing only on the wajib

22 Purity is half of faith

23 Do not oppress others

24 Multiple kinds of charity

25 Every joint must perform a charity

26 Righteousness is good morality

27 Consult your heart

28 Stick to my Sunnah stubbornly

29 Acts that lead to Paradise

30 Respecting Allāh’s boundaries

31 Renouncing the world

32 No harming and no reciprocating of harm

33 Taking an oath to make a claim

34 Change evil with your hands

35 Do not envy one another

36 Removing a worldly grief from another believer

37 How good deeds and bad deeds are counted

38 Allāh protects his beloved slaves

39 Allāh has lifted the Pen

40 Be in the world as a stranger

41 Being inclined to what the Prophet brought

42 Call upon Allāh and He will forgive

seven narrations: an islamic management perspective

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